@kathy507 wrote:
I almost always ship USPS since we live in a rural area and there are no UPS or FedEx depots nearby.
If USPS loses a package (even one with a tracking number), they do not give a refund on the cost to ship the package, even though they failed to deliver it, unless it is insured.
Many items I ship go first class uninsured to save buyers shipping costs. They all have a tracking number but are not insured.
Do the other carriers refund you at least the cost to ship if they lose a package? Just wondering.....
UPS and FedEx build insurance of the package into the price automatically. That's why they always ask you to declare the value of the item you are shipping (and you should declare honestly in case something happens). Sometimes, they will even decline to ship the item if it is too valuable.
USPS on the other hand, will have you declare value ONLY if you are purchasing insurance. If USPS loses a package, you can get them (very begrudgingly) to refund the cost of shipping to you even if you didn't buy insurance, but you must have a USPS account and ship through that. But honestly, it's like pulling teeth, and rarely worth your time. They also won't do it for international packages, only domestic.
In my experience, unless you are a super high volume shipper, it's better to take the commercial/bulk discount that Ebay/Paypal offers as opposed to having your own USPS account and shipping through that. The commercial/bulk discounts will end up being much larger over time than a single lost package over the thousands shipped. If you do ship through Ebay/Paypal, don't expect USPS to refund anything without insurance.
